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12.31.11

Romney Ahead in New Iowa Poll

Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo

It looks like it’s going to be a nail-biter in Iowa. In one of the last polls before the Iowa caucus on Tuesday, Mitt Romney came out on top with 24 percent of likely caucusgoers, with Ron Paul at 22 percent and Rick Santorum at 15 percent. The Des Moines Register poll took place over four days, and if only the last two days of polling are considered, the surging Santorum fares even better, at 21 percent, while Romney remains the same at 24 percent. But that doesn’t mean it’s settled for any of the Republican candidates: 41 percent of likely caucusgoers said they could change their minds by Tuesday. As for the rest of the candidates, Newt Gingrich fell to 12 percent, Rick Perry had 11 percent, and Michele Bachmann had 7 percent.